Friday, Oct. 12 Mark Gottfried lost Gerald Wallace to the NBA, but will be able to overcome it because he will be relying upon upperclassmen, a better schedule, and can't help but win a couple on the road. Rod Grizzard is athletic with deep range and the ability to get to the basket, and improved his shot selection last year. Erwin Dudley is underrated, led the SEC in rebounding, and is a double-double threat. Terrance Meade is a combo guard who can really shoot it, but the key guy should be freshman Maurice Williams. Williams is a 6-1 McDonald's All-American with a great handle and a quick release on his shot. If Williams can create shots for Grizzard, Meade, and freshman shooter Earnest Shelton, Alabama can bank on an NCAA bid.

24
Alabama
LAST SEASON: 25-11
2001 FINAL RANKING
ESPN/USA Today: No. 33

Why No. 24?
The Tide barely made the cut, largely because they couldn't get into the NCAA Tournament last season, lost Gerald Wallace to the NBA and didn't get Rodney Bias eligible or land Kei Madison. So, it was hard to judge the Tide. But they still have one of the best open-court scorers in the SEC, let alone the nation in Rod Grizzard. Grizzard can be streaky but has the talent to score 20-plus a game. Couple Grizzard with Erwin Dudley, perhaps the best low-post scorer next to Florida's Udonis Haslam, means the Tide has two of the top-scoring frontcourt players in the league. The Tide needs more production out of Kenny Walker to give them a triple threat inside. But the key to this team might be the effectiveness of Maurice Williams. He's one of the top newcomer point guards and could be the stabilizing player for the Tide offense, which got out of hand at times last season. Williams should give them a better chance when they have to go against the better point guards in the league like Florida's Brett Nelson. Terrance Meade will likely start alongside Williams, but Ernest Shelton will push him to get on the court. The Tide has depth, even with the attrition through the NBA and academic eligibility. They can score but the bigger question is can they defend and are they tough enough to win on the road in the SEC.

Will Rise If ...
The Tide plays some 'D' and actually does something on the road. Alabama was a non-factor on the road last season and that's why the Tide didn't get into the NCAA Tournament. They've got the talent to make a decent run for the division title, getting it away from Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Auburn -- but they can't get frustrated and split apart like last season

Will Fall If ...
Grizzard and Dudley aren't true leaders. This team lacked a common goal last season. The intensity was gone at times and they didn't seem to play with a purpose. Grizzard and Dudley have to be more selfless and need to be more assertive off the court as well as in the huddle.

-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com

SCOUTING REPORT: One SEC coach's take on the Tide

“

Don't give Alabama any cheap baskets. Make them play halfcourt offense. They're not as good as other teams in execution. Don't give them offensive rebounds because they stand a great chance to beat you. They're offensive execution isn't as good as other teams. Defensively we've found them to be a little soft. They're not as hard-nosed tough defensively. They have a nice plan on offense, but then you can score baskets on them. They're much better when they don't try to run offense. They're running the UCLA high post, but it's 25 years old and it's not difficult to guard. Yet they're talented. They're most talented team in the SEC West. ”

2001-02 ALABAMA ROSTER
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Key 2000-01 Stats
(3) Solomon Davis	Sr.	F	6-6/225
(4) Reggie Rambo	So..	F	6-7/218	PTS: 0.4 | REB: 0.4
(5) Earnest Shelton	Fr.	G	6-3/190	His shot will get him into the backcourt rotation; his accuracy will keep him there
(13) Lucky Williams	Fr.	G/F	6-6/205	Eligiblity issues only thing keeping him from playing plenty of minutes
(14) Terrance Meade	Jr.	G	6-2/190	PTS: 10.8 | REB: 2.9 | FG%: 40.8
(21) Rod Grizzard	Jr.	G/F	6-8/205	PTS: 17.0 | REB: 6.1 | FG%: 39.8
(22) Travis Stinnett	Jr.	G	6-0/170	PTS: 6.8 | AST: 1.7 | 3PT%: 44.2
(23) Demetrius Smith	So.	G	6-3/215	PTS: 0.0 | REB: 0.7
(25) Maurice Williams	Fr.	G	6-1/183	Averaged nearly 27 ppg as senior, but will need to play point for Tide
(35) Erwin Dudley	Jr.	F	6-8/240	PTS: 14.4 | REB: 10.0 | FG%: 52.9
(42) Kenny Walker	Jr.	F/C	6-9/220	PTS: 6.7 | REB: 4.6 | FG%: 48.6
(50) Antoine Pettway	So.	G	6-0/165	PTS: 2.9 | AST: 1.6 | FG%: 41.2
Head Coach: Mark Gottfried (55-42, 3 years; Overall: 123-66, 6 years) Assistant Coaches: Philip Pearson, T.R. Dunn, Orlando Early Home Court: Coleman Coliseum (15,043); Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2001-02 ALABAMA SCHEDULE

November 13: Miss. Valley St. (a) 14: Samford/Ly-Marymount (a) 20: TBD (b) 21: TBD (b) 26: Utah 29: McNeese St.

December 3: UT-Chattanooga 8: at UCLA (c) 14: Jacksonville St. 18: Temple (d) 21: Alabama A&M 27: Notre Dame (e) 31: Florida A&M

January 2: Bethune-Cookman 5: LSU 9: Vanderbilt 12: at Auburn 16: at Georgia 19: Mississippi St. 26: at Kentucky 30: Arkansas

February 2: at LSU 6: Mississippi 9: at Mississippi St. 13: at S. Carolina 16: Tennessee 20: at Arkansas 23: Florida 27: Auburn

March 3: Mississippi 7: SEC Tournament